Pokemon's Lost Muk Evolution Is Surprisingly Cute

One of the biggest traits of a Pokemon, aside from their perchance for battling, is their ability to evolve into different forms and evolutions. Some Pokemon gain the ability to evolve thanks in part to the experience they get from their fights or can be evolved thanks to special stones or specific items that trainers find along the way on their paths to becoming better Pokemon masters. Through all these evolutions, sometimes a couple fall through the cracks and aren't able to make the final roster of Pokemon overall, and such was the case with Grimer/Muk's earlier evolution: Betobebi (aka Baby Grimer).

Twitter User DrLavaYT shared the information about the "Baby Grimer", including attributes of the pocket monster itself and the original designs for the long lost Pokemon that may have appeared to look too closely to another Pokemon that already existed:

Lost Pokemon of the Day: Betobebī (baby Grimer)

First revealed when Gold & Silver's 1997 demo leaked in 2018, Betobebī would have transformed the Grimer line into a three stage family.

Muk, the evolved form of Grimer, originally appeared in the video game, Pokemon: Red and Pokemon: Blue, acting as one of the first generation of pocket monsters that were introduced to the world. As the franchise moved forward, Muk continued appearing in the series of games and even appeared with a much different look, colored as if it were a rainbow rather than a sliding, horrific pile of sludge.

(Photo: OLM Inc)

The disgusting looking Pokemon also had a big role in the anime franchise, with Muk being caught somewhat early in the series by Ash Ketchum. Muk though became more of a hinderance than a help as the creature would refrain from fighting, instead opting to attempt to hug Ash and inadvertently crush him under the weight of his own slimey form. Ketchum was forced to almost immediately relinquish his role as Muk's trainer to Professor Oak, who Muk also attempts to hug on a regular basis, much to Oak's chagrin.

If you haven't kept up with the current run of the anime, Pokemon the Series: Sun and Moon is described as such, "What starts as a summer vacation in the tropical Alola region turns into the next exciting chapter in Ash Ketchum’s quest to become a Pokémon Master! There’s plenty for Ash and Pikachu to explore in this sunny new region, with exciting new Pokémon to discover and interesting people to learn from along the way—including the cool Professor Kukui and the fun-loving Samson Oak.